Who knew the Library of Congress had this far of a reach? I am a strong supporter of intellectual property rights. At the same point in time, I believe that when I as a consumer or you as a consumer, or anyone have fulfilled our commitment and we've paid off our contract, that we ought to have the right to use that device and move it across carriers as we see fit. I look forward to working on this issue and resolving this issue to give consumers flexibility.

I don't know whether it [should be] a permanent exemption [to the DMCA], whether it is a rewrite of the Copyright Act, or what the appropriate solution is, but I do believe there needs to be a solution and consumers should have the right to unlock their phones after they've lived up to their side of the agreement.

His decision to stand up for unlocking is somewhat interesting.

Earlier in his career he served as a lobbyist for the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA), as well as being a venture capitalist investing in numerous online/wireless business firms. The CTIA in particular vigorously opposed unlocking, writing it "did not meet the burden of proof" to secure a Fair Use exemption to the DMCA.

In other words, Chairman Wheeler has done a 180, going from lobbying for a trade group that was one of unlocking's largest opponents, to heading the federal government's top wireless regulatory agency and championing unlocking.

His comments come at a critical moment -- his nomination hearing before the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate. His nomination is expected to go through, despite some controversy over his remarks which indicated he might have allowed AT&T, Inc. (T) to purchase Deutsche Telekom AG (ETR:DTE) subsidiary T-Mobile USA, a move which his predecessor Mr. Genachowski fought to block. He dismissed his blog on the topic as "hypothetical speculation".

It is currently illegal to unlock devices like the iPhone. [Image Source: Engadget]

Mr. Wheeler has at least one other supporter in the FCC, regarding his unlocking views. FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai -- a Republican serving on the FCC -- is a vocal advocate of unlocking. While he says it's not the place of the FCC to authorize it, he urged Congress too, calling the ban ridiculous. He remarked in an op-ed, "No one seriously believes that unlocking a cellphone to switch carriers is equivalent to piracy."